Alternative Sterilization

Our pricing for Ovary Sparing Spays and Vasectomies are between $800-$1,000.

As long as I have been veterinarian, dogs and cats have been spayed or neutered by completely removing their ovaries and testicles. This has just been “how it was”, and thought to decrease the chances of diseases, cancer, fighting, and certainly unwanted pregnancy. We never stopped to consider what effect this may have when we remove the hormones that those glands produce, and how they might affect the way our pets grow.

More recently, various ovary sparing procedures have been promoted in dogs and cats to preserve those hormones. Research within the past few years has suggested that it might be of benefit to leave those hormones available to the pet, and find other methods to sterilize them without removing the gonads. Options currently under investigation for females include; (1) tubal ligation, and (2) removing the uterus and not the ovaries. Tubal ligation allows sterilization (with a small chance of pregnancy) early on and the pet owner can later make the decision to completely remove the reproductive tract later. This, obviously is the least invasive method of performing sterilization. Ovary sparing procedures involve removing the uterus and not the ovaries. This preserves the production of hormones for growth in your pet.

The research in question involved more large breed dogs, not small breeds or cats. Pets that still have their ovaries will still come in heat. If the uterus is removed, you should not see any discharge, and the pet can’t get pregnant. However, she will most likely still stand for breeding if approached by an intact male dog. Historically we were concerned about estrogen from heat cycles leading to increased incidence of mammary gland cancer, but this increase is probably small.

On the male side, vasectomy is reaching increased popularity. Surgically it is not an easy procedure as the vas deferens is closely adhered to the testicular artery, and takes some time and talent to remove without rupturing the artery. It is important to realize that vasectomized males still are males, so they will hunt, breed, fight, and still be classified by municipalities as INTACT MALE DOGS. There will be some swelling after the surgery, but it should not be too uncomfortable for your pet.

If you are interested in an OSS or vasectomy for your dog, I am currently performing the procedure at a few select hospitals I visit. The prices for these procedures are typically higher than conventional spaying and neutering.

If you would like to find more information on the procedures, I recommend you visit www.parsemus.org for more information. I also have videos available on how to do either procedure should your doctor not know how. Our procedure for the OSS has been modified from that originally proposed. If you are interested in these videos, contact my nurse, nicole@jeffmayodvm.com. These videos are not free, but are available for a small fee.

The AVMA has approved the procedures as being clinically acceptable. I do not know where insurance companies stand on the procedure yet. Some veterinarians will be very opposed to you having this procedure performed on your pet, so I recommend you investigate the website above for more current information.

If you are interested in a digital copy of how to perform this procedure, please make a selection from the list below. We will do our best to send you a copy within 48 hours of your order.